About Us

The seeds for Apple Tree were planted in February 2013, when a group of like-minded women began a conversation about working together to further support women and their families in West Kootenay Boundary.

Our Meet the Team Nights in 2019: 5:30pm-6:15pm

Thursday April 18th

Monday June 10th

Tuesday August 20th

Meet Our Team of Care Providers

Tanya Momtazian

Tanya is thrilled to have set some roots down in the Kootenays to raise her young, and growing family and to become part of the Apple Tree team. She has been working as a midwife in Nelson since 2008 after graduating from the UBC Midwifery Program. In 2012, she completed a Masters of Public Health from Johns Hopkins. She is currently the President-Elect at the College of Midwives of BC and Adjunct professor at UBC Midwifery. She enjoys being part of this thriving community and spending time outdoors: snowboarding, hiking, and beaching as well as traveling to new places or visiting family and friends.

Lisa Sawyer

has been practicing as a family physician in Nelson since 2004 after receiving her medical degree from Ottawa. She is a strong advocate and supporter of women receiving a holistic and supportive approach to maternity care. Lisa is the past chair of the local Perinatal Committee and works closely with the hospital to maintain excellent quality of care at Kootenay Lake Hospital. She has a young son Evan and loves to play with the Moving Mosaic Samba Band.

Lisa Delorme

Lisa became passionate about childbirth and midwifery after attending the birth of a family friend as a teenager. Over the next ten years she strengthened her love and commitment for supporting women during the childbearing cycle by working as a doula and also through the midwife attended births of her children. Lisa graduated from Bastyr University in 2013 with a Master of Science in Midwifery. Her thesis focused on the ethics of international training for midwifery students. In 2014 she completed the International Midwifery Pre-registration Program in order to become registered in Canada. Since then she has been working as a Registered Midwife in Ontario. As a longtime resident of the Slocan Valley Lisa is thrilled to be returning to the Kootenays and is excited to be joining the Appletree team.

Jeanette Boyd

Jeanette Boyd received her medical degree at the University of Calgary in 2003 and completed her residency training in rural family medicine in 2007. She feels passionately about women’s access to safe, meaningful maternity care and she complements her maternity and family practice calling by working to support rural medicine through her roles with the Canadian College of Family Physicians, the BC College of Family Physicians and the Rural Coordination Centre of BC. She and her family feel blessed to have lived in Nelson since 2007.

Lauren Galbraith (away April – July 2019)

Lauren was born and raised in Nelson, and is thrilled to be able to practice as a family physician in her hometown. She received her medical degree from UBC’s Northern Medical Program in Prince George, BC. Her rural family medicine residency at the UofA’s Rural Alberta North program took her to several rural and remote communities in Canada’s north. She is a passionate advocate for women’s health and maternity care in the rural setting. She is honoured to be able to join this multidisciplinary team with so much knowledge and experience, all the while living in such a wonderful community. Outside of work, she loves spending time with her family and in the outdoors.

Lisa Wiley (locum) Lisa was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Her passion to become a midwife blossomed from roots of women’s health advocacy and political activism for egalitarian, holistic, and empowering health care options for childbearing people and their communities. She earned her Master’s degree in the Science of Midwifery from Bastyr University in Seattle in 2013, transitioned into Canada through the International Midwifery Pre-Registration Program in Ontario in 2015, and has helped with nurturing new families in four nations. She is new to BC, feeling gratitude for such a warm welcome to the Kootenays, and reveling in becoming familiar with the beautiful community and surroundings here.

Michelle Cameron (on leave)

Michelle is originally from the east coast and was raised in Ontario. Although her mother tongue is English, she always attended francophone schools including Laurentian University where she completed her degree in Midwifery. She has been a Registered Midwife since 2006 – primarily in the Lower Mainland and the West Kootenay-Boundary areas. Her education in acupressure, occupational therapy and reflexology complement her approach to health and wellness. Michelle strives to empower, educate and care for women and their families during their time of growth. She welcomes parenting wisdom at any time as she raises her young children Nash and Talia. When she has a free minute you might find her skiing, biking, growing veggies or just relaxing somewhere in the mountains or lakes nearby.

Meet our Team of Allied Professionals

Judith Fearing Lactation Consultant and Breastfeeding Facilitator

I am delighted to join the Apple Tree team. My work as a registered nurse for over 30 years has led me in many fruitful directions. One of the highlights has been working with new families and supporting breastfeeding. It is wonderful to return to this in my role as a Lactation Consultant and to be part of a team of enthusiastic, committed and skilled practitioners. I love Nelson—this is where I raised my three now-adult children and where I continue to enjoy hiking, swimming, biking and participating in community and global events with my husband George.

Meet our Learners

Rebecca Milkotic 4th year UBC Midwifery Student

September 2018 – April 2019

About myself: I was born in Vancouver but have lived in Kelowna (part of the unceded territory of the Syilx/Okanagan people) for most of my life. Growing up in the Okanagan Valley, I have been blessed with long summer days at the beach, many camping trips with my family, and winter nights skating on our backyard rink.

My midwifery journey: I spent four years at UBC’s Okanagan campus and completed my BSc in Medical Biochemistry in 2014. My eyes had always been set on medical school, until I attended the UBC Midwifery program information session during my undergrad. During the session, a midwife from Kelowna shared about her experience as a practicing midwife and her relationships with clients. The more I reflected on her stories, the more I began to see the gift of midwifery and how it uniquely bridges the clinical and relational dimensions of maternity care.

Since that session, I have studied midwifery theory at UBC and been on practicum placements in Vancouver, Penticton, Prince George, Parksville, and Williams Lake. Come graduation, I am hoping to work as a rural midwife, bringing safe and compassionate care to women and their families in underserved communities within the Okanagan.

Thank you: This program would not be possible without countless families allowing midwifery students to be a part of their birth experiences. And so, thank you for giving me the opportunity to grow and learn from you, your families, and your new little ones; it truly is an honour.

Cody Kjell 3rd year Ryerson Midwifery Student

March 2019

Hi, my name is Cody Anne Kjell! I am a Third Year Student in the Midwifery Program at McMaster University in Ontario. I am originally from Winnipeg and grew up running across prairie fields and hiking through the snow. I have always been drawn to the mountains and their special presence, so I am incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to learn in the West Kootenays.

I am passionate about providing care and unwavering support to childbearing people throughout their entire pregnancy, birth and postpartum period. I started my educational journey with degrees in Psychology & Fine Art, as well as Education. However, I quickly realized that Midwifery was my calling. Following this, I began working with childbearing families as a DONA trained Birth Doula and owner of The Mulberry Tree Pregnancy & Birth Support in Winnipeg. I also worked as a recreational coordinator, providing programming and supportive care to marginalized women living at a not-for profit prenatal residence. As a midwifery student, I am grateful to learn a holistic approach to health and provide evidence-based care to all clients. I am particularly passionate about advocacy and the provision of care within the vulnerable sector. When I am not at the clinic, I enjoy hiking, yoga, rock climbing and spending time outside. I am grateful to be a part of your care and look forward to meeting all of the wonderful members of the Apple Tree community.

Apple Tree Maternity is a teaching unit associated with the UBC School of Medicine and other universities. We consider our students and residents a member of the care team, and are thankful for the support of our clients to help train a new cadre of skilled health care providers.